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Man dies of fatal overdose, widow files medical malpractice suit

On behalf of Ed Chacker of Gay Chacker & Mittin, P.C. posted in medical malpractice on Friday, April 22, 2016.

A man who was allegedly given too high a dosage of pain medication by his doctors died as a result. Now, the man’s family is seeking legal redress. Similarly, when Pennsylvania residents suffer medical negligence that takes their lives, a surviving family member is typically entitled to file a medical malpractice suit.

The 54-year-old man was a 12-year veteran of an out-of-state police department. He responded to the site of an accident and, while sitting in his vehicle, was hit head-on by another vehicle. He suffered many broken bones in his upper and lower body, for which he underwent a number of surgeries to repair the damage.

While recovering in the ICU of the Tennessee hospital, the man received pain medication. He had been on the mend when, all of a sudden, he died on Jan. 30, 2015. The cause of death was considered to likely be what’s known as an “embolic event,” when a clot obstructs proper blood flow. However, after his autopsy and toxicology results, the Chief Medical Examiner determined that, at the time of the man’s death, lethal levels of a narcotic pain medication were in his system; accordingly, his death was deemed to have been caused by oxycodone intoxication.

The suit was filed on behalf of the decedent’s widow against the University of Tennessee Medical Center as well as the University Health System, Inc. It is seeking $7.5 million for damages. Similarly, when Pennsylvania residents are victims of medical malpractice, they are fully within their rights to seek counsel to assess the validity of their legal claims, as well as to act as an advocate on their behalf in pursuing claims for financial relief.

Gay & Chacker serves clients in Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. We offer legal representation in Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Berks County and Chester County, Pennsylvania; and in Camden County, New Jersey, as well as in the surrounding areas.